I'm currently reading "The Cuckoo's Calling" - a detective novel. i didnt know anything about it (my voracious reader wife had it on our Kindle ) and I was impressed with the quality of the writing. I had nerver heard of the author - 'Robert Galbraith' and Googled him. turns out 'he' is a 'she,' the pseudonym for J. K. Rowling, writing a non Harry Potter crime novel.

So far (4 chapters in) it's an interesting book.. Just hope no flying Police Constables show up with magical handcuffs that evoke instant confessions.

Good morning morons and moronettes and welcome to AoSHQ's prestigious Sunday Morning Book Thread.

The Incomparable Literary Genius of MAD Magazine

Yes, I suppose that's a bit of an exaggeration. But not by much:

You can talk of beef and spuds When you're frocked in fancy duds A-sittin' there as cozy as you please. But then some heathen demon In your stomach starts a-screamin' And you'll sell your bloomin' soul for buttered peas.

For it's peas, peas, peas. They're enough to bring a blighter to his knees. I'll give up those flyin' fishes 'Long as I've great heapin' dishes Of those wonderful, delicious buttered peas!

Don't ask me why I remember this parody, but some of you might recognize that it came from MAD magazine, which used to publish silly poems like this often. "What if Kipling wrote cook books?" was the title, probably from the mid 70s. Note that this takes for granted that the reader knows who Kipling is, and is familiar with his poetry, in particular, "Gunga Din", the poem that's being parodized here.

Again, I don't why I remember it after these many years. I guess the rhyming patters of certain poems lend themselves to easy memorization. Like this one:

The Scottish author published a piece entitled Dumbledore's Army Reunites on her subscription-only Pottermore website today.

The tale, which is told from the perspective of unscrupulous gossip columnist Rita Skeeter, features Harry at 34 with "threads of silver" in his hair and a mysterious new scar on his cheek.

The 1,500 word piece reads: "About to turn 34, there are a couple of threads of silver in the famous Auror's black hair, but he continues to wear the distinctive round glasses that some might say are better suited to a style-deficient twelve year old."

I'm reading "Conviction" by Juan Martinez about Jodi Arias and it is difficult to put down. Released Tuesday it's the #1 Bestseller in Forensic Psychology.

Only on Ch. 3 but so far it has held my interest. Just reading what happened in the beginning (mostly forgotten) makes me SMH that this lasted for seven years. They had her pinned in the first month. I blame Judge Sherry, but that's a whole 'nuther thread. The bits and pieces of details Juan reveals are interesting; he is quite the storyteller.

Watching Ross Harris, yesterday, being interviewed by the police only hours after after the discovery of his son, made me think of this book so I am reading it again. I can remember after reading it when it came out, thinking "Wow, I need to read this again when I have the time." It's that good and I have the time. I thought it would be a lot about body language, etc. but it's not. (I like non-fiction.)

Three former CIA officers--among the world's foremost authorities on recognizing deceptive behavior--share their proven techniques for uncovering a lie

Imagine how different your life would be if you could tell whether someone was lying or telling you the truth. Be it hiring a new employee, investing in a financial interest, speaking with your child about drugs, confronting your significant other about suspected infidelity, or even dating someone new, having the ability to unmask a lie can have far-reaching and even life-altering consequences.

As former CIA officers, Philip Houston, Michael Floyd, and Susan Carnicero are among the world's best at recognizing deceptive behavior. Spy the Lie chronicles the captivating story of how they used a methodology Houston developed to detect deception in the counterterrorism and criminal investigation realms, and shows how these techniques can be applied in our daily lives.

Through fascinating anecdotes from their intelligence careers, the authors teach readers how to recognize deceptive behaviors, both verbal and nonverbal, that we all tend to display when we respond to questions untruthfully. For the first time, they share with the general public their methodology and their secrets to the art of asking questions that elicit the truth.